Looks like Trump may be fueling a crime wave instead of reducing it. [View all]
Donald Trumps tariffs have triggered an explosion in cargo theft across the US as organised gangs target truck drivers.
Drugmakers, clothes manufacturers and electronics companies are grappling with unprecedented numbers of crimes, which have surged by a third year-on-year, according to the boss of a supply chain security company.
David Warrick, executive vice president of Overhaul, said: Ive been in supply chains for 30 years and Ive never seen this before.
The rise is a side-effect of Mr Trumps sweeping trade tariffs on US goods imports, which have increased the value of shipments and pushed companies to stockpile goods, Mr Warrick said.
Firms raced to front-load imports before Mr Trumps fees hit, meaning large volumes of goods have become sitting targets waiting in distribution centres and warehouses.
Mr Warrick said: This isnt opportunistic theft, this is organised crime. It is cartels and mobs who have infiltrated the supply chains.
One common tactic is fake pickups, where a criminal will pretend to be the driver who is scheduled to pick up a trailer. Gang members also impersonate depot managers.
They will scratch the serial numbers off the trucks and trailers, they will change the license plates. Weve even seen them painting the containers and removing doors using angle grinders. It is the Wild West, Mr Warrick said.
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